The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-06-23
MARY JAMES TRAVELS.
THIS ENGLISH CITY OF PLYMOUTH
HELD UP TO OUR VIEW.
The Old Maid and the Maiden Meet and
Are Charmed with Woman Hotel
Clerk-The Age of the Buildings, the
Red Coats of the Soldiers, Etc.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
PLYMOUTH, Eng, May 2S.-A day and
half on Shore and even yet the pavements
have rocking motion, and at times feel as
l imagine nice young man does after he has
come home from temperance meeting. We
thought we were going to have LAND sick
ness" which is the negative of sea sickness in
cause, yet similar in effect, but we have es-
capped that affection after we had passed
through the hands of the customs officers.
| When 1 got into the houel we had selected,
| which was the best in town, because Dickey
said we had to make fine display for be-
| ginning and impress the foreign element,
found that young woman at the little cubby
hole of an Office talking to a female on the
inside. This lady, upon inquiry, learned
was the hotel clerk, and Immediately it oc-
Cured to me that woman's lot was not so
dreadful bad after all. knew American no.
| tel clerks in bewildering bedazzlement of
diamonds and vanished shirt bosoms, ruling
guests with q pen of iron behind their ears;
knew them as naughty and imperious king
lets; knew them arrayed as Solomon would
not dare to rig himself out; knew them as
| the autocrats of lodging and meals, and
thought if the women of England had de-
throned such men they certainly had taken a
long step toward the goal of our cherished
ambition.
| We gave this one our names, but not place
of residence, for she did not ask it, and she
gave us a room, which we could not reach
by elevator, or diff" as they call it here, for
there wasn't any, so we "clmbed the golden
stair"
When the servant left us alone, Dickey
began Messing around like a strange cat in a
garnet.
"For G. odness sake, Dickey," said 1, "what
are you uniting for!"
"Nothilg that haven't found" said she.
"Here's towels, and soap and water, and a fire
ready and gas and bell cord"
"Well, what Of it!" said l.
"Why," said she, "they told me at home
that European hotels didn't have any con-
veniences, and that the traveller had to
furnish pretty much everything and pay the
hotel for the privileges"
"Wait till you get on to the continent,
said 1; England is not a foreign country"
We lunched comfortably in the hotel and
then started out for our first sight seeing in @
land beyond the seas.
We had noticed, coming up to the hotel
how very old and quaint many of the houses
were. and as we walked about the Other
quarters Of the town. we found these evi
dences of age multiplied; the Globe hotel
for instance, which has been tavern for 400
years.
GLOW psthe;i,!" said Dickey as we looked
at it. "Why didn't you stop here, Mary
Jane?'
because, DEAR" said l, "aestheticism in art
= and seestheticism in hotels, where the peri
patetic roach and the omnivorous bed bug
have enjoyed opportunities for developing
culture for four centuries, are entirely differ
ent things don't say it Of this hotel, but il
it were i'll America its permanent residents OF
that character would be liable to get loose
any night and drag Che house and its guests
clear over into the adjacent county"
Everywhere we went we saw the red coats
of soldiers and somehow it occurred to mt
that there was more Of them than was neces
sary in time of peace, and I made some in
o1iry. learned that Plymouth was one o.
the most strongly fortified towns in England
and that the soldier element was one of it
features. They were dandy looking fellows
with little round caps on their heads switcl
canes in their hands and a MASKING air whicl
caught the girls at every turn. Among tn
= red coats were some Scotch Highlanders il
kits and they were very natty, although
their bare knees and legs would have eXcitet
comment, and police raid, probably, if the.
had appeared on the streets OF an America
city.
@That's an appropriate silt for soldier,
should think" said Diclzey, as one passed us.
"What suit" said 1, looking at red coat.
"The kilt one" said she freshly
: | cold 7 caua1n1u
changed the subject.
, We took cab along in the afternoon an
drove over to the Saltash railway bridge
crossing the lamar at Saltash and connecting
the counties of Devonshire and Cornwall
: Plymouth being i'll Devonshire. 1t is a fin
structure, 2GO feet above water, and rests o.
much more graceful abutments and pier
than our American bridges
!. On our way gack we drove through Devon
mort. the new part of Plymouth, and Stone
house. which, with old Plymouth, constitut
a triplicate of towns under the name of Ply
l mouth and have population of about &C, 00(
u wonder how many Americans know hoy
it got its nameg said Dickey
"Are you oneW said l.
sS5o," said she; chow"
,r "Because it is situated at the mouth of til
" river Ilylll, suiu l. .
/, "Thanks," said she. II have heard tn
p name Plymouth ever since knew there wa
q Pilgrim, but it never occurred to me befor
to ask why it should have such a name"
: then proceeded to explain to her tina
, there were several streams coming to focu
at that point, and it was owing considerabl
to them that Plymouth had so much shi
) room and had been for hundreds of years
). great shipping point and naval station &c
England Fourteen miles south, i'll ono
: dangerous reef, is the Eddystone lighthous
!. the best known probably in the. world. III
- name was given because of the eddying
the waters about the stones, and as early
\ 1855 a lighthouse was built there. 1t W;
sixty feet high, but the waves dashed over
a SO that it was run up to over 12O feet.
Il was criticised, and the architect said he on
= wanted a chance to show his faith in b
work by being in it during a storm. III
chance came i'll 1908, and architect, ligh
bouse and all on board were swept away OF
nioht in a great storm. Two more we
erected. the third, after standing 120 year
heinz, torn down in 1873 to be replaced by Il
nrcseit one, finished i'll 1882.
Across the mouth of the halbor is $4,000
O0o breal,water. with an iron circular TO
\ near the center. As there lies before the ha
nor thousands of miles Of open sea, the us
i =, e ,Lo Iraalyntpr is quite aODareI